Santa Cruz
The scene in Santa Cruz, with a huge sandy stretch, volleyball courts and swarms of people. Park on E Cliff Dr and walk across the Lost Boys trestle to…
Must-see attractions in Northern California
Giant Sequoia National Monument
Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks
Created in 2000 and administered by the US Forest service, the Giant Sequoia National Monument includes two sections of protected forest totaling over 328…
Lake Tahoe
Spooner Lake is popular for catch-and-release fishing, picnicking, nature walks, backcountry camping and cross-country skiing. It's also the start of the…
Santa Cruz
In Santa Cruz's downtown, rotating displays by contemporary California artists and exhibits that dive into local history are worth a quick look. Recent…
North Coast & Redwoods
This secluded sandy beach with sweeping ocean views is California's northern-most state beach and right on the Oregon border. The beach can be windy so is…
Lake Tahoe
This elegant 1903 Queen Anne–style mansion on the lakefront is also known as Pine Lodge. Guided tours take in the richly detailed interior, including…
Oakland Public Library, Asian Branch
Oakland
This library is packed with books in Chinese, Korean, Japanese and Vietnamese, plus locals playing Xiangqi (Chinese chess) and Mahjong. It's a nice spot…
Standish-Hickey State Recreation Area
North Coast & Redwoods
Lose yourself under giant redwoods. You will also find river swimming and fishing, as well as 9 miles of hiking trails in virgin and second-growth…
Napa Valley
Meets at Crane Park, half a mile south of downtown. The vendors come and go with the seasons, but expect plenty of fresh produce, fresh-cut flowers and…
Santa Cruz
The only official off-leash beach for dogs (before 10am and after 4pm) in Santa Cruz is just west of the lighthouse. The field across the street is…
Yosemite National Park
On the way to Glacier Point, less than a mile away, this viewpoint faces east toward the Clark Range, so no sweeping view of Yosemite Valley. Still,…
North Coast & Redwoods
This 1914 movie theater is reputed to be the oldest in the US. It reopened under independent ownership in 2016 after a period of closure and now screens…
Lake Tahoe
This wild, dramatic and mostly treeless mountain sits just northeast of Lake Tahoe. The protected wilderness area is a popular destination for hikers and…
South Lake Tahoe & Stateline
West of Lake Tahoe, this mountainous park contains the formidably named Desolation Wilderness within its boundaries.
Kings Canyon National Park
The base of these 80ft falls is a short walk from Hwy 180, about 4 miles west of Cedar Grove in Kings Canyon. There's a picnic area here with bathrooms.
North Coast & Redwoods
This 1866 Carpenter Gothic grew to a 32-room mansion. Only one family ever lived here, so the interior is completely, and charmingly, preserved.
Santa Cruz
Seafood restaurants, gift shops and barking sea lions all compete for attention along Santa Cruz's wharf, the longest wooden wharf in the US.
Yosemite National Park
These falls, pronounced twee-lala, drop more than 1000ft over a sheer granite cliff on the north side of the Hetch Hetchy reservoir.
Redding & Around
This building was the courthouse for over 30 years in the late 1800s and now houses a fun and informative museum and visitor center.
Yosemite National Park
This lovely canyon, which includes a section that is part of the John Muir Trail, follows the Lyell Fork of the Tuolumne River.
North Coast & Redwoods
Run as a non-profit cooperative, around 25 local artists exhibit at this large gallery in the harbor area.
Lake Tahoe
This forest can be accessed from Truckee; it features some great hikes leading you around Donner Summit.
Santa Cruz
Near Watsonville, the La Selva Beach exit off Hwy 1 leads here to this sparsely populated beach.
Yosemite National Park
Lush wildflower-strewn meadow with a historic log cabin. Makes for a nice, leisurely stroll.
Yosemite National Park
This bridge over the Merced River has fantastic views of Half Dome and Yosemite Falls.
Chandelier Drive-Thru Tree Park
North Coast & Redwoods
Fold in your mirrors and inch forward, then cool off in the uber-kitcschy gift shop.
Yosemite National Park
Views of El Capitan and Bridalveil Fall can be had from this valley-floor turnout.
Yosemite National Park
There are panoramic views of Yosemite Valley from this 7385ft ridge lookout.
Monterey
John Steinbeck’s novel Cannery Row immortalized the sardine-canning business that was Monterey’s lifeblood for the first half of the 20th century. A…
South Lake Tahoe & Stateline
This uninhabited granite speck in Emerald Bay State Park is Lake Tahoe’s only island. It holds the vandalized remains of a tiny 1920s teahouse belonging…
Berkeley
The Bancroft houses, among other gems, the papers of Mark Twain, a copy of Shakespeare’s folios and a diary from the Donner Party. Its small public…
San Francisco
Art nouveau stained-glass windows and a dome skylight illuminate more than 8000 niches honoring dearly departed San Franciscans and their beloved pets…
Lake Tahoe
West of Truckee, 3-mile-long Donner Lake is a busy recreational hub. The Donner Party camped nearby during the fateful winter of 1846. Donner Summit,…
Oakland
At the northern end of Piedmont Ave, this is perhaps the most serene and lovely artificial landscape in the East Bay. Designed by Frederick Law Olmstead …
Mt Shasta Region
As you follow winding Dunsmuir Ave north over the freeway, look for this park with its local native botanical gardens and a vintage steam engine in front…
San Francisco
The only Nob Hill mansion to survive the 1906 earthquake and fire is this neoclassical brownstone. Today it's a private men's-only club with an exclusive…
Sequoia National Park
The Potwisha people, a band of Monache (also known as Western Mono), originally lived at this site. When the first white settler, Hale Tharp, arrived in…
Big Sur
Novelist Henry Miller was a Big Sur denizen from 1944 to 1962. More of a beatnik memorial, alt-cultural venue and bookshop, this community gathering spot…
Berkeley
Near Grizzly Peak Blvd, this science hall is named after Ernest Lawrence, who won the Nobel Prize for his invention of the cyclotron particle accelerator…
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